OSHA'S CRANE RULE

OSHA Rule Reopening Resource Center

On September 25, 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an extension of the compliance date for its crane operator certification requirement to November 10, 2017, in order to revisit the record on operator certification.

The additional three years would, OSHA says, provide time to address industry concerns over the "certifying by capacity" requirement and whether certification is equivalent to qualification.

Additional Resources

UNDERSTANDING THE OSHA RULE AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOU

NCCCO has compiled numerous resources below to help employers, operators, riggers, signalpersons, and others from industry better understand the personnel qualification requirements under new federal OSHA's rule. These include an NCCCO Guide to the new rule, which contains the full regulatory text, answers to numerous frequently asked questions (FAQs), a flow chart to help determine when certified crane operators are required, applicable letters of interpretation from OSHA, and NCCCO’s analysis of the qualification requirements for crane operators, signalpersons, and riggers. As NCCCO receives and answers more questions about the rule, the FAQ list will continue to grow. Links to OSHA documents created to help understand the rule are also listed below.

OSHA Gives Employers 90 Days to Have Signalperson, Riggers Qualified
October 2010 – While OSHA allows for a four-year implementation period for crane operators to be certified under its new rule published in August, the requirements for signalpersons and riggers to be qualified take effect on November 8, 2010, just 90 days after the new rule (29 CFR 1926, Subpart CC) was made final.

NCCCO Publishes Definitive Guide to New OSHA Rule
July 28, 2010 – The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) has published what it calls “the definitive guide to the personnel qualification requirements” of the new OSHA rule, 29 CFR 1926, Subpart CC.

Crane Operators to be Certified Under New OSHA Rule
July 28,2010 – Extensive new requirements for the qualifications of crane operators and signalpersons were published today by Federal OSHA in the most wide-ranging revision of the rules governing the use of cranes in a generation.

HISTORY OF THE RULE

Ten Year Anniversary of OSHA Agreement
May 2009 - Ten years ago this past February, a group of industry leaders gathered in Washington, DC to witness the signing of an historic agreement between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

NCCCO Urges White House to Move on Crane Rule
September 2008 - Operator certification was top of the list of items under discussion last month at a meeting between officials of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and industry representatives.

OSHA Chief Commits to Publishing Crane Standard Revision
December 2006 - “I am committed to getting the cranes and derrick standard through before the end of this administration.” So stated Ed Foulke, OSHA chief, at a meeting October 11, of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) in Washington, DC.

OSHA, Industry Address FCOC Meeting
March 2006 - The tangible return to employers by investing in the training and certification of their crane operators was attested to by representatives of industry and government at the Florida Crane Owners Council (FCOC)’s first-quarter 2006 meeting in January.

OSHA Ponders Small Business Impact of Draft Crane Rule
September 2005 - OSHA is currently conducting an economic analysis of its draft rule on cranes and derricks to determine if further study of the potential impact on small business is needed before publication of a proposed rule.

This information is provided as a public service by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO). Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this response, no responsibility can be assumed by NCCCO for errors. OSHA remains the sole authority for interpretations of federal labor standards and should be consulted accordingly.